Commonwealth Games silver medallist L.
Commonwealth Games silver medallist L. Devendro Singh (49kg) stormed into the quarter-finals, while the experienced Manoj Kumar (64kg) entered the last-16 stage of the International Boxing Association’s world Olympic qualification tournament with comprehensive victories.
Fourth seed Devendro who had an opening round bye, defeated Argentina’s Leandro Blanc 3-0 in a lopsided contest, while former CWG gold medallist Manoj upsta-ged second seed Moha-med Eslam Ahmed Aly of Egypt 3-0.
Devendro, also an Asian silver medallist, will be up against South Africa’s Sibusiso Bandla on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Indian has to make the final to book himself a berth in the Olympic Games.
“Devendro used his right straights and left hooks in brilliant combination. His uppercut was also very good and precise. In the second round, he somehow twisted his foot but managed to handle the situation on his own. He was brilliant in all three rounds and won the bout unanimously,” national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.
Manoj takes on Bulgaria’s Ayrin Smetov Ismetov in his pre-quarter-final bout on Tuesday after upstaging his fancied rival. Manoj will be assured of an Olympic spot if he makes the semi-finals of the ongoing event.
